Locals Pissed at Proposed Union Square Pavilion Restaurant

Apparently, not everyone is happy about the Parks Department's plan to convert the Union Square pavilion into a seasonal restaurant. Washington Square Newsreports that neighbors are against the idea, in part because converting the space into a commercial establishment would destroy "the protest history" of the plaza.

But locals aren't the only ones annoyed.

Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz, the principal designer at BNO design, says renderings of the firm's vision for the proposed restaurant were posted without the company's consent. BNO has not even secured the project and is likely one of several design firms that have drawn up plans for the site.

The proposed restaurant would function like Tavern on the Green did: The Parks Department would own the site and a concessionaire would pay an annual licensing fee to run it. And we all know how well that worked.